Ilsetraut Hadot’s “Preface” and “Introduction” to Sénèque. Direction spirituelle et pratique de la philosophie — As I explained in the opener, the purpose of these blog entries will be to provide sequenced commentaries on the sections of Ilsetraut Hadot’s magnificent book (in English), Seneca: Spiritual Direction and the Practice of Philosophy as I am able to find time to translate them across the next (I…

A note on the casuistry of evil If you’ve been around ideas for much time, and paid attention, you may have been struck that there are a finite number of argument types that repeat. Over and over. The subjects change, the times change. But the same argumentative strategies are reproduced. …

Amidst covid, lockdowns, economic chaos, mass layoffs, and now a looming confrontation of nuclear powers, Married at First Sight has long been a light diversion in dark times. What better way than to unwind from reality than gawking at some mindless “reality” TV? The premise of the show is in…

Stoic meditation is about memorizing Stoic teachings deeply, which you can call upon facing adversities. As Marcus Aurelius says: Continually, therefore, grant yourself this retreat and repair yourself. But let them be brief and fundamental truths, which will suffice at once by their presence to wash away all sorrow, and…

(Or: Diogenes, Antipater, A Dodgy House, and a Shipment of Grain) — One of the things that is best about working today on Stoicism is that love of this philosophy unites people of different political convictions. This, in a world wherein political polarization and mutual misunderstanding is becoming king — or tyrant. Apologies, but the next two entries of this blog are…

Consider these two ideas, each definitively Stoic: 1. There is no intermediate state between wisdom and folly, the sage and almost all of us, who are unwise. 2. Yet, people should strive through exercise and progressive learning to become better. Isn’t this a classic example of a profound philosophy harboring…

How they Differ, and what They Share Liberal capitalism, and its neoliberal successor or development, has never proceeded without facing principled criticisms from both the Left and Right. It is important to understand what divides these criticisms, as well as what unites them. For a great deal of political life, and many political arguments, are predicated on…

And why it matters — A prophet of the absurd? There’s a short essay French novelist and philosopher Albert Camus wrote in his collection Summer where he laments that he is not a teacher of the absurd. But, because of the way media works, and the human love for the sensational, the label has stuck. Indeed, even today, Camus is…

by Lycinus Secund- — Act 1, Scenes 1–3 Translator’s Preface The following manuscript (which will need to be presented in several installments) represents a first scholarly translation of a text recently found in a large find of clay pots in the Syrian desert. Fabulously preserved across the ages by the dry air of a remote cave…